Unreaped
by ABroke
Summary: A story about Kiara from District 4. She is a friend of Finnick. Upon learning that Finnick is alive after the 75th Hunger Games, she devotes her life to saving him and Annie. Skilled and trained in the use of knives, sword and trident, she becomes a crucial member of Katniss's special force. Will she find the one thing she has always longed for?
1. Chapter 1

This has to be paradise. This place is so soothing. I haven't felt so relaxed in a long time. Blue stretches above and below me until eternity. Tiny ripples form on the surface of the water as my feet graze by. The current is warm, and so is the breeze. I am flying. I don't have wings like the birds do, I am floating on the air. I am disconnected from everything, the land, the rebellion, the Capitol, the peacekeepers. I don't have to worry about anything anymore. Finnick is gone. Ash is gone. They have taken Annie, so she is probably gone too. I don't have a reason or will to live. Maybe I can stay here forever. May be I am gone too, and this is heaven. Maybe if I keep flying, I will meet everyone soon…

There is a continuous and rhythmic beeping, probably from a machine. A pungent smell, probably alcohol lingers in the air. Almost half a dozen tubes pass in and out of my body, the ruptures in my skin hurt a little when I try to move. Somebody is brushing the hair on my forehead. It's a soothing feeling, reminds me of Ash for some reason. I had almost forgotten what it feels like to be pampered. I open my eyes to see who it is. The room is brightly lit, forcing me to close them again. I only got a glance of the person sitting next to me, but that's enough.

"Finnick?" Am I still dreaming?

"Yes dear?" That voice can't belong to someone else. I force my eyes open. A warm smile greets me.

"Finnick…!" Words fail me. I'm on the verge of tears. His strong, comforting arms envelope me.

"Kiara! I am so glad you are alive. I thought I had lost you forever."

"Finnick...!" I can't stop crying. After I heard the news of the arena blowing up, I had assumed that he was dead. The gaping hole in my heart the night this news was on broadcast couldn't be my imagination. The feeling of losing Finnick haunted and tortured me to the extent of madness. So I made up my mind to support the rebellion.

I don't know how long it has been since I have been brought here. I have lost my ability to comprehend time. Not that it matters. I have the only person in the world I care for and that is enough.

Finnick holds my hand. "It'll be alright, okay? You are safe now. Do you remember what happen?"

"The last thing I remember is peacekeepers throwing bombs at the civilians in District 4. A bomb had landed two feet away from me and went off before I could move to safety. When I opened my eyes the next time, I was here."

The door flies open. "Finnick, the search party is back. They got Annie. She is in the emergency ward." Finnick's eyes light up. He looks at me, desire and happiness evident in his eyes. I know he wants to see her, but he won't ask me right away.

"Go, see her." I whisper. "I'll be here. Come back to me later. Bring her, if she is fine." That's all he has been waiting to hear. I know I'm important to him, and he knows that I need him, but deep inside, I have accepted that Annie will always be more important to him. He gets up from the chair near my bed and disappears into the corridor. The man is still near the door, unsure of what to do next. He looks middle-aged, grey eyes piercing out of his ruffled curly dark hair.

"My name is Haymich. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Can you ask a nurse to sedate me? The pain is becoming unbearable now." The pain in my heart...

"Sure!" He says and leaves the room. After some time, a nurse enters the room and injects a clear blue liquid in my right arm. My eyelids are becoming heavy. I recall the wonderful days when Ash, Finnick and I would run away to the beach, and have fun with the water. I remember the time Ash caught a large fish and gave it to me. It was so heavy I couldn't even carry it. And I was exhausted from running around on the boat all day long. Finally when the ship landed on the shore, Ash carried me home on his shoulders. I let myself fall asleep on his shoulders.


	2. Chapter 2

"I am not bad, okay? The problem is that you cheat in every test!If you would..."

"Mom! Kiara is talking to me." Our mother's stern glance forced me to shut up.

The knot-tying competition was not swinging in my favor, and I was grumpy. Ash was five years older to me, almost one and a half times my size. In addition to that, he had inherited my mother's long, skillful fingers. I shifted my gaze back to my work, tying the most complex knot I knew, in a desperate attempt to please our mother.

"Excuse me, ma'am. I have been watching you people for a while. Learning has been my passion, but I haven't found a teacher as skillful and beautiful as you. Would you mind taking me as a student?"

"Of course not, my dear! Pick up a rope and let's begin."

The boy picked up a piece of rope and knelt down next to me. I glanced sideways before resuming my struggle with the ropes. Like most of the population of District 4, he had bronze hair, tanned skin and sea-green eyes. Nothing special!

"Hi, I'm Finnick Odair."

"I'm Kiara, and this is my brother, Ash. Pleased to meet you." A lady should always be pleasant in a conversation, my mother would say. Being the daughter of the Mayor came with it's share of unpleasant habits.

That was where it all started. Ash and Finnick were in the same class, and I despised the idiots in mine. Hence, we spent most of our time together. Over the years, the three of us became inseparable.

* * *

"Welcome to the reaping ceremony of the 64th Hunger games. As always, let's begin with the male tribute. May the odds be ever in your favor!"

We had gathered outside the Town Hall for the reaping. Children between the age of twelve and eighteen had been huddled in the front, while families stood at the back. My father was on the temporary stage constructed for the ceremony, with two huge bowls to his either side; one with the names of the girls, the other one for boys.

"The male tribute for the 64th Hunger Games from District 4 is Ash Garcia."

I could feel the cold creeping on to me. My legs gave away and I dropped to the ground. That is certainly not possible. I turned to look at the blurred face of my mother, who had her mouth covered with her hand.

"I volunteer as tribute!"

"You are not even twelve, and a girl. We can't let you volunteer."

My mother lifted me in her arms and started walking towards the back. I kept staring into my father's eyes, begging him to save his son. He bowed his head in helplessness. The Mayor wasn't the most powerful person in the district after all.

After the male and the female tributes were chosen, time was allotted for the family and friends to say goodbye. My parents asked me to come with them, but I refused. I chose to go with Finnick.

"I can't live without you, Ash. You have to come back."

"I will, kiddo."

Two weeks later, my brother did come back… in a coffin.

My parents were devastated due to the death of their only son. Work needed my father's attention, and Capitol wasn't kind enough to let him mourn. My mother, however, would cry all day long. Confined to her bed, she kept shedding tears for months. Dinners became a noiseless affair. None of us actually ate a proper meal. The lessons stopped.

Months later, I was in my room with Finnick, when a maid informed me that my mother had sent for me. We went to her room. She was lying down on the bed. Color had drained from her once attractive face. A few strands of grey hair had started to show. However, after a long time, there was a spark in her eyes.

"I have been thinking about a lot of things in the past few days. I lost Ash because he was never prepared for the games. I will not let that happen to you both. Your training begins tomorrow. Until then, rest."

And so our training began. My mother hired a retired peacekeeper to be our trainer. Weapons like spear, knives and tridents were the main focus of the training. He also taught us hand-to-hand combat and defense techniques.

The day of the reaping arrived again. I wanted to skip the ceremony, but the entire population had to be present. As always, a temporary stage had been built outside the Townhall. This year, District 4 had a new escort, who went by the name Vietta Sanders. She was sitting on the stage next to my father and Mags, the mentor for District 4.

"Welcome to the reaping ceremony of the 65th Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor! This year's male tribute for District 4 is..." She pulled out a slip of paper and read out the name. "... Finnick Odair."


End file.
